
OSHL Improved Player Safety


The OSHL, Ontario Super Hockey League is a Senior hockey league that allows for players over the age of 20, to continue playing hockey at a competitive level. The OSHL takes pride in building a league that brings high level skill, and players to their perspective organizations for their hometown fans to watch and enjoy.
Player’s age range from 20-50, and are at varying stages throughout their life, whether that be a student in university, or as a parent with 3 kids. One thing remains consistent, all still having a competitive drive to continue playing high level hockey, at a relatively low commitment, while being close to home.
As players, we understand that there will be rivalries, and escalated tensions between teams during play. That’s what makes hockey fun, enjoyable, and competitive. At the end of the day, we all have to go to school, or work, and have family’s and friend’s outside of hockey.
Nobody goes to hockey with the expectation of hurting someone, or even worse, getting hurt. We all want to have fun with our teammates. As players, we understand that there are missed calls, and the referees have a very challenging job. We are all human, and make mistakes.
As an integral part of the hockey community, we have watched players from every team suffer from numerous injuries due to missed calls by referees. It's a deeply personal issue, as we've seen every team in the league affected. Day by day, the scars of these overlooked incidents mark not only our bodies, but our spirits.
The severity of the issue is not insignificant. Players who suffered penalties that were not called by referees are 2.5 times more likely to be injured than those who did not suffer such penalties. The presence of unchecked aggression and missed calls compromises the safety of every player on the ice, escalating the risk of preventable harm.
Our plea is simple. We seek to improve the safety of hockey players, by players. This will call for a thorough review of the current officiating system, refining policies, and possibly investing in extensive training on player safety for referees.
As players, we want to have officiating that matches the level of talent that is presented on the ice. This will help prevent injury by maintaining control over games, and accountability amongst players who play with an edge. In our experience, there has been a significant gap, with wide ranges of inconsistency amongst officiating teams.
A sport is only as strong as its players. Let's make the necessary changes to protect our athletes and uphold the integrity of our beloved game. Sign the petition to join us in pushing for enhanced safety measures for our players.
Written for Players, by players, in collaboration with: The Stratford Fighting Irish, The Tilbury Bluebirds, The Tillsonburg Thunder, The Alvinston Killer Bees, and The Orangeville Blitz, in hopes of reaching all players across the league.
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